 Many will warn that other people out there are preaching or teaching a different gospel or another gospel. The question is, what is a different gospel and how serious is it? Well, if we go to the Bible, Paul says in Romans chapter one, starting verse 16, notice what he says about the gospel. He says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel. Why? For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the Jews first and also the Greeks. So whatever the gospel is, it brings about salvation. So what is the gospel? We won't go too far into it because we've covered this before, but the gospel is simply this, that your sins are atoned for. Not that your sins are atoned for that salvation has come to Israel or that salvation has come to the world. That's close. But the truth, the beauty and the power of the gospel is that salvation has come to the world permanently. Recall how in the Old Testament, under the Old Covenant, that there was a system of atonement where there's a priest that would administer this ritual where there was a sacrificial offering. The blood was shed on the altar. God would accept it and the sins of the people would be confessed upon the head of the scapegoat, sent away. And in other words, all the sins of the people are sent away, away from God. The people would humble themselves, afflict their souls, not work fast, and then their faith in what was done would cause them to be in right standing with the Lord for one year. They would be justified for one year. However, in this way, Jesus would play the part of all three, meaning that he would be the high priest. He would be the scapegoat, the sacrificial offering as well. He would take away the sins of the world. He would pay for the sin debt, and then he would get up signifying that the Lord has accepted what he's done and that us by simply, in other words, afflicting our souls or placing our faith in what he's done in humble fashion, knowing that we deserve to be in his place. Then the Bible says that we shall be saved. So the question is, what does it mean if that's the gospel, then what is a different or another gospel? Now, before we get there, going to 1 Corinthians 15-1 to get even more validity to what I just said about the gospel, Paul says, Now I make known to you, rather than the gospel, which I preach to you, which also you receive, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved by this gospel. If you hold fast the word, which I preach to you, unless you believe in vain other words, if you are not accepting this, then this gospel is of no benefit to you, vitally important. He says, For I deliver to you, as first importance, what I also receive, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. Amen. And then also verse 4, that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas and then to the 12th, after that he appeared to more than 500 brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep. He then he appeared to James John, so now he's speaking about him appearing to the different apostles and other brothers and so forth. But notice what he talks about, that his death, burial, his resurrection, his ascension, also to be implied, because he goes and talks about the importance of the resurrection, those are necessarily important to understand the gospel. And then also not just what he did, but also the effect of what he did. We'll come to that in just a little bit, but now Paul brings up this issue, this point of having a different gospel, listen to a different gospel, or another gospel. Notice what he says in Galatians 1, and this is where the Jews or the Judaizers are coming, trying to make the Gentile believers convert to Judaism, then place their faith as converted Jews into Jesus as a Messiah. And it's doubtful that they probably even had that much of a concern about Jesus being a Messiah, just that they were so fixated on Judaism and the law, that they wanted these people to be circumcised and to adhere to the tenets of the law. And so Paul is bothered and perplexed. Notice what he says, he says, I'm amazed that you are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel, which he says, which really is not another, it's actually not another gospel. There is no other good news aside from this. He says, only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. That's the point. So when the gospel is teaching of what he's done, and the point of what he's done, because they go hand in hand, what he's done and why he did what he did, go hand in hand. And so there are those that are distorting that and disturbing people from that. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be a curse. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you receive, he is to be a curse. If someone is to preach something different, not necessarily exactly what the Judaizer was preaching, that there is a level of work that you have to do certain things. You have to be circumcised. You have to keep the law. You've got to obey this, not send all these different things, things that you do to become safe. Then you cannot be safe. As a matter of fact, Paul goes on later in Galatians says that if anyone attempts to be justified by these works, if you are attempting to be saved by these works, he says you're already cut off. That's what Paul's point is. And so that person cannot be justified. That person is trying to listen to or hear to a different gospel. But notice, Paul is not saying that if anyone preaches this particular different gospel, only anything that is different from the true gospel. So it may be this aspect of or this type of false gospel, different gospel where you have to keep works, but also in distorting who he is, what he's done. And then why do I say that? Well, first of all, Jesus himself says that whomever has the Son. That's what he says in John 8.34. He says, Jesus asked him truly, truly said to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. Notice his point. The slave does not remain in the house forever, but does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. You will certainly, without question, thoroughly, completely be free. You will be free from sin, the penalty, the punishment, and the power of sin over your life. Does that mean you will sin? Does that mean that you will not sin? You will still have occasion to sin, but the power of it, the control of it is no longer over you and everything else. So what is in you as 1st John will tell us that greater is he that's in us than he that's in the world. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is now not in us. That's part of the gospel, because now he comes and he takes up residence. That is the Holy Spirit as was prophesied in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. And so if a person is free, that person is free indeed. Anyone that distorts that, anyone that claims otherwise, that person is certainly preaching a different gospel. Notice what he says, because this comes up again also by Paul in 2 Corinthians. In 2 Corinthians 11 verse 4 he says, For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, now let me stop right there for a second. If someone comes and gives a distortion of who he is. In other words, he's not who the Bible says he is. The Bible is clear. If a person does not accept that Jesus is Lord, the Lord, which is to say that he is God, you cannot be saved. That's why Jesus makes a statement in John chapter 8. People looking for where did Jesus ever claim to be God? Well in John 8 he does in 2 occasions, but specifically in verse 24 he says that unless you believe that I am, then you will die in your sins. If you don't believe that he's the I am. And certainly the Jews understood what he said. He reiterates this in verse 58, before Abraham was I am. They knew what he was saying, that he was claiming to be God. Why they picked up stones in John chapter 10. He asked him, Why do you want to stone me? Is it for any good work that I've done? He said, Not for anything good that you've done, but because you a man, make yourself or call yourself to be God. If you do not accept who he is, that he is the Lord. As the Bible says in Deuteronomy 4 that the Lord is God. There is no other Lord. There is no other one that can have glory. That God will share his glory with. He's the first, the last beginning, end. That's who God is at God's name. Every knee shall bow. The same things are ascribed to Jesus. If you do not believe that then what you are doing is filing what Paul says here in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 4, that you have another Jesus whom we have not preached. Or another thing if you receive a different spirit which you have not received. In other words, if your whole pattern of life as a believer, supposedly as a believer, is counter to what you're supposed to do. Counter to what the purpose of the spirit being you. Counter to what the Lord is trying to do. And it can vary. It can vary. He's not being specific, but a different spirit. A different way of doing things. In other words that you have these different, these new and different revelation. Things that go outside of scriptures. Now cover that in just a second. Then you two are guilty of violating this passage. He says which you have not received or a different gospel which you have not accepted. Any of those things that you are not keeping, he is saying that you are accepting a different gospel. A different Jesus. A different spirit. And the way that you can make sure that you don't receive a different gospel. A different spirit. A different Jesus is by simply reading the text. Notice what Paul says in verse 5. He says, for I consider myself not in the least inferior to most eminent apostles, but even if I am unskilled in speech. That's what he says. Yet I am not, I am not so in knowledge and our understanding. There will be those that will come and want to say that anyone that wants to study the scriptures, they're wrong. However, if someone is telling you, if someone is teaching someone that you should not have a heavy, and I mean a heavy, reliance on the scriptures. That person is likely bringing about a different spirit. Now, that's so that they are a curse. They could just be ignorant of being taught well, but if they might want to be careful about having a pattern, a lifestyle that goes against learning the scriptures. Remember, the Bible tells us not to exceed what the text says. Paul says that, that these scriptures are given for us to grow. That we can be be profitable for us for being edified in the word so that we can reprove, correct, rebuke all these different things. It is for our edification for our growth, our growth. We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, as Paul says, and so if someone has an issue with the scriptures, we have a very big problem. Now, we're told in 2 Corinthians 7, 3. Notice what he says. He says, but I am afraid as a serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and the purity of devotion to Christ. Here it is. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully. Now, as it relates to these different spirits or when you hear someone saying something, because there are those that will claim to have something, some new revelation, some new understanding, something that seems to be different than what we've read in the text. What does the Bible say? The Bible says to, Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5, 21, he says, but examine everything carefully. Hold fast to that which is good of staying from every form of evil. Examine everything. Test everything. I don't even care who it comes from if it comes from a believer or not. If it's a pastor, a preacher, whoever it is, test it. How do you do so? Well, you do so simply by reading the word. Why do I say so? Well, Paul says, I'm sorry not Paul, John says in 1 Thessalonians 4, 1, he says, beloved and I believe every spirit, but test the spirits whether they see they are from God because many false prophets, people they bring these pseudo revelations have gone out into the world. So, there are going to be those that are going to bring a revelation of God who are going to say things. Well, one way that we can find out is, does it go or does it counter against the scriptures? There are times where it neither goes against nor counter scriptures. So, and therefore, you just be patient, you consult it, you ponder it as many in the Bible did and then also simply knowing that God doesn't use people. God doesn't use a person, an untrustworthy person to bring about his word to cause folks to trust in him. He's not going to do that. So, one of the things you want to make sure that you're doing, it is of the utmost importance when we're talking about a different gospel. Be as close to the text as you possibly can. There is a reason why he gave us his word so that we wouldn't have to be tossed back and forth by every wind of doctrine. Remember, the enemy is cunning. He is good at what he's done. He is the father of lies. He's the author of confusion. That's his job. He's been doing his job a lot longer than we have and his goal is, since he cannot stop the gospel, his goal is to distort the gospel and he'll do so in subtle ways, in ways that it seems like, well, they gave 80% of the gospel. This other 20% that seems a little bit suspect. Well, the rest of it is good so we will keep it all. Well, no. Again, a different gospel is even a slight distortion of it and so be careful. There are some things that might seem like they are a different gospel. They might not be. I would just caution everyone to make sure that you are as close to the scriptures as possible. Remember, Paul writes, and it's one of the pastors I think we ought to govern ourselves by, is that we do not exceed what is written. Do not go beyond what the text says. That will help us a lot. And then also just learn to listen to what is sound teaching, what the text says. And in that way, you don't really have to worry about one missing out on anything, missing out on the next move of the spirit or anything like that. What you will do is you'll be guilty of keeping the faith, the tenets of the faith, like Paul says in 2nd Timothy 4 on his deathbed. You'll be guilty of having holding the sound doctrine and you will certainly avoid listening to another gospel. Amen.